Category: Tips For Success

Recently Top Golf opened in Hillsboro, Oregon. If you don’t know what it is, then you haven’t been to one of the cities where it’s located yet; but you probably don’t have long to wait. Right now it feels like every five minutes a new Top Golf is opening up in cities across the country; it’s one of the new ‘things’ everyone wants to go do with family and friends.

My first exposure to it was with Randall (of course it was…the Universe hates me sometimes), so when I first heard that Top Golf was on the agenda for my Uncle’s birthday, there was a sinking feeling in my stomach. I was still only a few months out from going No Contact, and sensitive enough to reminders of everything that I tended to avoid them like the plague.

Ultimately though staying behind wasn’t really an option; I’d bowed out of so many family functions for years that things were moving to an awkward phase where if I didn’t start showing up more family was liable to start forgetting what I look like. So I grit my teeth, changed out of my perpetual pajamas-and-fuzzy-socks routine, and made my appearance.

Top Golf itself is a fairly basic idea…think of what you get by combining a bowling alley and a driving range. People get ‘lanes’ of sorts, and hit balls attempting to score points by landing the balls in scattered holes of varying difficulty; stacking up their scores with the scores of friends to have an ultimate winner. And then in the meantime you have servers coming and going and taking orders for drinks and food (yes, before you ask, it’s pretty amusing when someone drunk tries to hit golf balls).

All in all it’s a pretty civilized way to pass an afternoon…though it’s something I get tired of after a while. Randall on the other hand absolutely loved it; constantly talking about how he wished Top Golf was in the Portland area. Telling everyone around him at one point or another about how much fun it was, and how he wished he could take all of them. Even saying if we made enough money, he’d try buying a franchised location and set it up in the Portland area because it was that popular and would make a lot of money.

Ironic, then, that it opened only three or four weeks after he’d left the state and gone back home.

Remarking on this to my mother, even telling her his fantasy of owning one himself, she just chuckled and informed me that Top Golf had been “coming soon” to Hillsboro for over seven years, since her days on the City Council, and that she could have told him that if he’d ever bothered to talk to her. She’d been part of the Council that approved the request to build in the first place.

Seven years seemed a bit extreme, and I asked why it had taken so long to build, but she said it wasn’t that strange. Between permitting and land issues, and labor contracts and other red tape, these things often take many years to come into fruition even when everyone unanimously wants it to.

That prompted me to think about my own business ventures, and how many years it’s taken for everything to start finding a stride and become what I knew it would from the start. It’s a sore subject, because it was a point of much contention between Randall and I. The fact that my work particularly with Lasting Connections repeatedly stalled out in the first few years meant he ultimately decided I must have been lying first about the profitability and success of the business, and then eventually he even went so far as to accuse me of making up the entire company in my head.

I’d tell him as a startup venture it of course would hit roadblocks and otherwise struggle as it grew into something more, but he would argue back that it wasn’t true. Insisting a business either turned profitable within eighteen months or it was dead in the water and should be dismissed.

Except that just isn’t true. Not in the real world.

First, Lasting Connections was profitable within its’ first six months of existence. Whether or not it could be successful wasn’t in question…but what we were trying to do was grow and expand to a national level, and that required a lot more work, and also meant most of our revenue got poured back into the business instead of findings its’ way into our pockets.

I made less and less for over a year, stretching every dollar while we continued to refine and change and hone our approaches and our systems. Ensuring that the business would long term be a thriving creation…and meaning in the short term great sacrifices were required. Day in and day out Randall would swing between supportive and agitated, one moment telling me how proud he was of my courage taking risks, and my business savvy, and the next moment telling me how everyone in his family and circle of friends thought I was making the whole thing up and that things would never succeed.

Ultimately everything deteriorated to the point where he declared I must have lied and made it all up in order to ‘lure him back’ and convince him to move to Oregon in the first place.

It wasn’t true, but he was convinced it was, and it caused me to start questioning my own judgment more and more. He had all of his friends repeating his words, and because I was so rarely around people of my own circle, I started believing it all to be true; stopped defending myself as much, and even when I tried quickly finding I was tongue tied and unable to really have coherent conversations because I was constantly interrupted or talked over.

It was a nightmare.

But as with everything else, as time has gone by I’ve regained my clarity over the situation…and ironically, recently everything with Lasting Connections has at last fallen into place. Validation is a sweet thing, but the road getting here was long and difficult…made even more so by an unsupportive and abusive partner.

Know this: if you are planning to start or are embarking on any kind of business venture, you have to be prepared to devote the next several years of your life to it. You have to be ready for the fact that you’re going to work your ass off, and there is going to be very little reward in the beginning. People are going to doubt you, and you’re probably going to question yourself from time to time. Unless you are already wealthy or have a wealthy partner, you’re going to struggle financially as over and over again you must make the choice to sustain and grow your business rather than lining your own pockets (no matter how tempting it is or how much you might want to). You’re going to have moments when you regret your choice, and wonder if maybe you should have just taken that desk job to begin with because you’d give almost anything for a steady paycheck.

This is an inevitability. There is no such thing as “an overnight success”; that concept is a myth. A fantasy. A fairy tale. It does not exist. And if someone seems to have achieved just such a thing, I guarantee it’s a mirage; that they might have gained recognition overnight, but the work they’ve put in has taken years of their lives.

Think of the famous people you know, of their stories, and you’ll know I’m right. Actors who are now worth tens of millions of dollars, but who started out waiting tables and sharing tiny apartments with three or four other people just to get by; taking any gig they could, no matter how degrading or embarrassing it was to them later. Anything to get a foot in the door. Or how about the gentleman who invented the GoPro camera…he originally was building something else entirely, and had raised millions of dollars of his friend’s money as investors…and then it failed fantastically and he lost everything. Bankrupt and bereft, he ended up living out of a van on the beach as a surfing bum, and it was there that he invented the first rudimentary prototype for the GoPro camera. He sold various versions of it out of his van for the next few years before he had enough resources to build out the sleek version we know today. To the public, it seems like he succeeded overnight…but it actually took him one spectacular failure, desperation, and then years of developing and refining the idea before success occurred.

Point being: make sure you are devoting yourself to something you really believe in, because everyone around you will question it until you succeed (especially if you’ve tried and failed at other ventures in the past). Surround yourself with the right support system; friends who care about you and want you to be happy, rather than people hoping to hitch a ride on an eventual gravy train. And if you’re in a relationship, make sure it’s with someone who understands the realities of taking risks on enterprenurial pursuits. It won’t work if you’re with someone who requires predictability, stability, and comfort in his or her life…they’ll end up miserable, not to mention the very last thing you want when battling to make your business succeed is to also be doing battle at home. It’s not sustainable (and I say that from personal experience…I damn near lost my sanity by the end before the relationship with Randall ended).

And most of all, stay the course. Had I given up when Randall said I should have, simply because I didn’t have my “overnight success” story, or had I caved to the pressure of everyone else’s insults by calling me a liar or a delusional fool, I would not be where I am now. And what I have now makes those couple of years of struggle worth every minute.

Once I let go of the idea that I was a failure because I hadn’t achieved overnight success, and instead embraced the reality that there is no such thing…I finally found peace with myself. And shortly after the peace came, I was at last rewarded with success.

Meghann Andreassen is a businesswoman, author, and personal success coach who contributes to this and other blogs on a regular basis. To learn more or to work with her personally, contact her through her website for a free consultation.

**Names and other personal identifying information of some individuals referenced throughout this blog have been changed to protect their identities

Today I was efficiently moving through my to-do list, sitting at my desk and occasionally thinking about what I’d be making for dinner and trying to recall the last time I’d taken my dog out, when my phone started vibrating on the desk. Barely giving it a glance to see if it was someone I needed to pick up for, something in me froze when I looked at the screen and everything about the calm, just-another-day afternoon evaporated.

The number was unfamiliar, with an area code from the city where my abusive ex lives. Possible coincidence, except I’d just changed my phone number a week earlier…so it was strange that I’d be getting any random calls yet. I haven’t even called my various doctor’s offices or other vendors to give them my new number. Hell, I haven’t even managed to pass out the new number to the majority of my family and friends!

So it was more than just a little unsettling to be receiving a call from an unfamiliar number from that city, of all places.

My blood pressure spiked and my heart began thumping wildly in my chest, palms turning sweaty, and as I picked up the phone I realized my hands were trembling. Taking the phone to my mother, I showed her the missed call and asking if she thought it was possible that he’d gotten my new number. Though perhaps asking if it was possible was the wrong question…because I already knew it was.

Blanche, an older woman Randall had cheated on me with and then continued to inappropriately interact with for the duration of our time together, had long since proven courtesy of her job that she was able to pull up the current addresses and phone numbers of pretty much anyone very easily. (I didn’t know exactly how she did it, but she worked in collections so I’m assuming given the nature of the industry it’s some tool they use to track down those who owe them money.)

It was something I’d seen him use her for many times, and whether it was kosher or not to use her job this way (I genuinely don’t know the answer to that question), she always seemed to do it willingly and quickly. Whether it was tracking down a guy who’d stiffed him when buying weed, or reaching out to people he’d been in prison with, or by the end of our relationship vowing that he could find everyone I loved and do them great harm as payback for “ruining” his life……Blanche was always there to help Randall pull it off.

So yes, it was possible.

Better question to ask was if it was likely. Logic suggested not; because that would mean Randall had Blanche basically looking up my name for new contact information on an almost daily basis…and I seriously doubt he’d be doing that at this point. If he does any checking up on me at all, I imagine it’s only when he’s bored, and I’d guess he doesn’t ask Blanche to help because he won’t want her knowing he’s even doing it. So no, it wasn’t likely.

Likely or not though, I was now officially triggered. Mind racing. Heart pounding. Feeling as though the walls were closing in around me. Didn’t matter whether or not Randall was actually behind the call, because triggers are never logical, rational, or reasonable.

Seeing this, mom declared she’d call the number back from her phone and see who answered. My stomach lurched at the thought, terrified for reasons I couldn’t even begin to explain…because really what she offered to do made complete sense. That’s what you normally do if you want to know who just called you.

Ultimately she called the number four times, and each time the call dropped before it even rang. Gradually the triggered reaction started to fade and I was able to go back to working through my to-do list…but now instead of thinking about what I’d have for dinner, my mind was haunted by memories and thoughts I didn’t want. The anxiety had faded, but the pain had only just begun, and I know from experience that now I have to ride out the wave of haunting, painful memories until they run their course……which can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

(Mercifully this time it seems to be brief…even as I’m typing this, I’m feeling a thousand times better.)

The whole incident sparked the need to write out this post, however, as it reminded me of just how frustrating triggers can be. Like unwanted guests at a party, they saunter into our minds and set off all kinds of mental and emotional alarm bells before walking out and leaving in their wake a steaming pile of stress and anxiety. Just like what happened today. They give no warning – no precursor that they’re coming around the bend – and all you can do is take note, try to process it or, if you can’t yet, find a way to avoid it going forward.

But no matter what, it’s important to remember one thing: triggers aren’t your fault. They aren’t a sign of weakness. They just are. And the strongest people are the ones who actually acknowledge them and deal with them appropriately, rather than pretending they don’t exist in order to appear “tough”.

Anyone can have triggers in their lives, even for seemingly mundane things. They aren’t only born out of trauma and negativity. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, for example, an advertisement or a smell or a conversation about eating may trigger you into craving a food that’s not currently allowed on your diet. If you lost a loved one, a smell or a sound or a sight might trigger you into remembering.

But while they don’t require trauma to get started…I have to acknowledge that the worst kinds of triggers usually have a traumatic backdrop. Addicts, for example, understand triggers as the little gremlins that will sneak out and bite us if we’re being too complacent in our recovery; get us craving our drug of choice and potentially starting down the road of reckless behavior leading to a relapse. It’s why in rehab about 80% of my time was spent focusing on triggers; identifying them, understanding them, and coming up with plans to cope with them.

So given all that, it’s no surprise to discover it’s also quite common among survivors of abusive relationships to have plenty of triggers from the trauma of it all. But even so – even knowing this, and knowing I’m not alone in experiencing it – it still shocks me every time it happens.

The triggers dredge up all the intense emotions of that relationship, reminding me all over again that yes, it was real; I really went through that. I really was abused. I really was traumatized. And that’s hard. I haven’t yet fully come around to accepting it as part of my personal history without additional feelings of shame or disappointment. It’s a work in progress.

It also pisses me off, because in a sense it makes me feel like Randall is still winning this game of cat and mouse he started between us; his little mental land mines still going off as planned and leaving me with the negative/painful reactions and feelings. I don’t want him winning. I don’t want him in my head. And I know this is a common feeling for survivors of abuse, because I hear the same sentiments echoed over and over again by the women in my support groups/networks.

So by talking about it in a space like this – by processing the struggle openly – I hope to not only help my healing journey, but also encourage others to talk about their own triggers rather than being ashamed of them; accepting them for what they are so they don’t control the course of life ever after. Because while the triggers themselves can’t be controlled, how we choose to cope with them can.

I’ve learned that for me, talking about it in the moment is helpful; gets it out of my head and allows others to help me brainstorm ways to feel better and move forward. And then I’ve started keeping a list of all the triggers, simply because somehow writing them down gives me a goal: to start whittling that list down over time until ultimately I am healed enough to have very few triggers left. Periodically I’ll review the list, and see if any of the triggers are gone.

So far I’ll be honest…I’m still primarily adding to the list, and have only removed one item. But it’s a start. And in the meantime, I accept the triggers…and all the emotions that come with them. It’s part of the healing process, frustrating though it may be. And having them doesn’t make you weak…it makes you human.

Meghann Andreassen is a businesswoman, author, and personal success coach who contributes to this and other blogs on a regular basis. To learn more or to work with her personally, contact her through her website for a free consultation.

**Names and other personal identifying information of some individuals referenced throughout this blog have been changed to protect their identities

[This was originally published on ‘The Naked Hour’ blog a few months ago.]

Do you want to know my secret to happiness in life?

Not just superficial happiness, mind you; I’m talking about the real, raw, honest, gritty kind of happiness that has you able to smile – if only for a few minutes – even on the worst days. You want to know my secret for that? Are you ready for it?

Here it is: Have no secrets.

That’s certainly my ultimate goal here in this space, for myself; and it’s something I encourage all my friends, loved ones, and clients to strive for as well on a daily basis.

I aim to lay bare everything I’ve learned. Everything I’ve experienced. Every good thing. Every miracle. Every embarrassing conversation. Every poor decision. The story behind every bruise, every cut, every scrape, and every scar. No more minimizing. No more pretending. It’s time to shove every last molding, dusty, dirty, rotting skeleton out of the closet and into the light of day.

I want to present who I authentically am with the hope that others out there can see themselves in my best and my worst moments. In my experiences, and in the experiences of others. And in doing so, start to heal. To let go. To forgive and move forward. To connect and bond through truth and heartfelt discussion; to put aside petty things like race and religion and gender, and instead realize we’re all part of and experiencing this thing called ‘the human condition’ together. That we have more in common than we know.

But Meghann, what do you mean exactly by no secrets?

Just that: no secrets. No skeletons in any closets. No glossed over version of events from my past. Trust me, I’ve learned this lesson through many trials, and even more mistakes.

Looking back on my life I realize the worst moments for me were the times when I was trying to minimize something, or sweep it under the rug or pretend it didn’t exist. Trying to ensure certain people didn’t know certain sides of my personality, or parts of my past, in an effort to please. All with the best of intentions, of course; but still with bad outcomes. In an effort to have everyone “be happy”, usually it would end with everyone – especially me – more unhappy than ever. Because nothing was 100% authentic.

And always – ALWAYS – this would ultimately lead to problems. Because guess what? The minute you start pretending to be something you’re not, you have to keep pretending. You have to keep minimizing. You have to keep going with the little white lies you thought were so small and so innocent; the lies you thought you told for an intangible “greater good”. Everything motivated by a you-can’t-handle-the-truth kind of mentality.

Well…maybe that’s true. Maybe some people can’t handle my truth. Maybe I’ll lose some friends or associations in my life. Maybe I’ll miss out on a few invites, and fall off a few Christmas card lists. But that’s okay; I’m going to do it anyway. Because life is, my dear friends, far too short to do anything else. It’s not my responsibility to protect others from the truth that is me. The truth that is my life. Just as it’s not your job to protect me or others from the truth of your life.

We all have to learn how to live happily and authentically as ourselves. That to me is the ultimately key to success in life.

My life has been messy. It’s been hard at times. Really, really hard. But it’s still my life; and for every hard moment, there has been a blissfully beautiful moment too. So on some levels I’d say it’s a life I’m proud of…because of everything I’ve learned. Maybe not proud of the bad choices or the mistakes…but I’m proud of what I’ve learned and become as a result. Proud that I’m still standing, and have something to offer.

I never know if what I have to offer is something anyone will find value in…but it’s what I have, and so I offer it nonetheless, letting others decide for themselves. I feel like so often we could spare ourselves a lot of self-judgement if we simply knew we weren’t alone. If we knew we weren’t the first – nor the last – to make bad decisions. If we knew there were people out there ready to celebrate with us on our journeys…the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all.

So then…my name is Meghann…and in the past 29 years I have:

Traveled to many different places in the world, and learned a lot about people from all walks of life.

Been an outstanding competitive swimmer. Setting records and climbing higher and
higher on the “Fastest Of” lists. I’ve also lost it all due to a shoulder injury that ultimately led to surgery at the age of seventeen.

Been in shape, and at my heaviest I’ve also been as much as seventy pounds overweight. Been classified as morbidly obese a few times by doctors. I’ve looked at myself in mirrors and loved what I’ve seen, and I’ve also had days when I’d have thrown a rock at my reflection if one had been readily available.

Had days where I’ve been at my best, and I’ve had days when I’ve been so utterly depressed that the simple act of breathing was almost too much.

Studied opera both in school and privately; performed in several countries, made several recordings, and loved every single minute of it.

Was part of founding the Pacific Youth Choir, which has grown to become one of the largest and most successful youth choirs in the country. I’m so proud of that accomplishment and that part of my legacy.

Written at least three novels that have never seen the light of day other than for my own amusement. Written a few short stories that were on short lists for literary journals. I’ve also religiously kept personal journals for years, and continue to dream of writing novels some day that will actually sit on the bookshelves of readers everywhere…I just haven’t settled yet on the right story to tell.

Studied history and classic civilizations; I adore history and feel the world would be a much better place if we truly strove to understand where we come from.

Studied German as a second language, and gotten pretty good at it.

Called people of all socioeconomic groups, ages, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and religions friends.

Been a part of an exciting startup with potential to grow to a national level, and learned a lot about business and entrepreneurship along the way as a result; making my list of skill sets diverse and long.

Managed a medical practice that ultimately failed; partly because of mistakes made by me, and partly due to circumstances beyond my control.

Started – but not finished – college. Currently still standing at junior level status.

Been addicted to prescription pills; I’ve had to go to in-patient rehab to try and shake this addiction. My addiction led to me having a criminal record, and even meant I spent time on probation as well as a little bit of time in jail.

Been in an abusive multi-year relationship with a man several therapists have now determined is potentially a Narcissist and a Psychopath.

Had moments of incredible courage, where I learned I could survive anything…and have also had moments of extreme cowardice and insecurity, when I betrayed my morals and my principles in favor of trying to keep the peace. I’ve told lies to smooth over an uncomfortable situation or to avoid a painful conversation. I’ve done things that embarrass me when I think of it. And I’ve learned from it all.

Moreover, I’m not a bad person (though I suppose if you speak with my ex he might tell you otherwise; he’s fond of painting me out as Satan’s daughter at this point, but I’ve made peace with that too).

What am I? I’m just…me. A woman four months away from her 30th birthday, looking back on what feels like a hundred-year lifetime worth of memories and experiences and lessons. Nothing more, nothing less.

I’ll slowly tell my story, and you can decide if you like me, or not. But one thing you won’t ever be able to do is pull skeletons out of my closet to hit me with; because I’m freeing them from the closet myself. Speaking my truth. And hopefully, by doing so, offering some insight to others, or giving some relief to anyone going through a hard time, or even just showing a person – just one – out there who feels alone that they can survive whatever it is they’re going through. That it will be okay.

We’re all just trying to get through this life; to be happy and find what gives us joy. I believe that. I’m more than simply my statistics; more than a caucasian woman who grew up in a middle class household. More than a recovering addict or an ex-felon. More than an agnostic. More than “a millennial” or “a college dropout” or “an entrepreneur” or “a businesswoman” or “a writer” or “a Chief Operations Officer”.

I’m me. I’m all of those things combined, and so much more. And as I try to take everyone as they are, rather than what their statistics tell me they should be…I hope all of you will return the favor, and take me as I am too.

This is just the beginning. I invite others to approach me with stories they think are worth sharing too. Or with problems, wounds and battle scars they need help healing. And then ultimately encourage everyone to find commonalities, to empathize with one another, and to see above all else that the journey of life is just that: a journey. There is no “right path”…there are just various paths that we walk.

It’s that time again! I can hardly believe another 30 days has gone by, but here we are, and it was time this morning to check my weight, measurements, and progress photos again.

While the scale didn’t go down quite as much as I would have liked, the inches still appear to be melting off. And ultimately, let’s face it: it’s all about the inches when it comes to getting healthy. (As discussed in yesterday’s post.) Think about it: measurements are what determine our clothing size. Measurements are what determine how we look IN our clothes. It’s not what the scale says, it’s what the tape measure says that really matters.

So why do we put so much emphasis on the scale?

Probably because it’s easier to step on a scale than it is to measure bust, waist, hips, biceps, thighs, and calves every time we want to check progress. (Imagine people at a weight watchers meeting having to do that with each of the forty people who come in the door, stripping down and stepping behind a screen to get measured……they’d never finish in less than two hours!)

Certainly a doctor’s office doesn’t have time to do a proper measurement of a patient’s progress at every visit…not if they want to cram their mandatory forty patients a day into their schedule. And as a result, we stick to what’s easy: the scale. In thirty seconds or less we have a result that can either crush or elate someone trying to beat bad habits and get healthy.

Now……is it important to get your weight?

Of course.

It’s not good if the scale says 300 pounds, or 400 pounds. Not even close. Unless you’re eight feet tall, those are numbers that are bad news for anyone. And yes, overall when getting healthy you want to see a general downward trend on the scale right along with your measurements.

But at the same time, success should be measured not just by the number on the scale, but by a combination of things: weight, measurements, and overall health and wellbeing. Can you walk up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath, whereas before that was impossible? Good for you! Are you fitting into your jeans without having to suck in your stomach or squeeze into a body shaper first? That’s fantastic! If that is happening, then who cares if you only dropped two pounds instead of four? The point is you are trending in the right direction, and moreover, you’re implementing habits and changes that have a better chance of becoming permanent changes, whereas the kinds of extreme changes that cause dramatic weight loss in short periods of time often isn’t maintainable over the long haul.

So congratulate yourself on the small victories. That’s important. Getting healthy is a JOURNEY. It’s not a fast, easy fix.

And with that in mind, and keeping my promise of total transparency and honesty on this blog, as of 60 days into my journey, my results are as follows:

Weight: Down 8.6Pounds Total
Inches: Down 8.75 Inches Total

My Three Big Victories Of Note:

All three of my main measurements (bust, waist, hips) are now under 50 inches! To some this may not seem like a big deal, but for me? It’s huge. Any plus size woman can probably relate, too; because if you ever try shopping for clothes online, I find that generally when one of the “main three” measurements is above 50 inches, it’s a lot harder finding things that will fit.

I exercised a minimum of 30 minutes for 60% of these last 30 days. Huge shift from what I was doing previously, which was essentially 0% of my days each month. I always feel like a much happier Meghann when I’m getting a big dose of those exercise endorphins in my life.

Three shirts that had become too tight to wear are now wearable. And gosh darn it, they are really cute shirts! So I’m freakin elated!

To everyone else on journeys to accomplish goals, I encourage you (as I instruct all of my clients) to identify what YOUR three victories are this month? I know you have some. I promise you do. And writing them down always helps put things in perspective if you ever find yourself getting impatient or wishing things would change faster. Building good habits is a process. And that’s something I have to remind myself of often as well.

(And another friendly reminder for those who like me are on a weight loss journey: don’t forget to take your progress pictures. It’s as critical as taking your weight and measurements at least once a month. Because if you feel like you aren’t making a lot of progress, the pictures will show you otherwise. I still have a long way to go, but I can see with my own eyes the progress from my first picture to now. And that makes it an effective tool to combat feelings of frustration, impatience, or discouragement that ultimately come up sometimes with these challenges.)

Tomorrow I’ll be posting my goals for the next 30 days, and I hope you all are ready to create some new goals with me. Cheers!

Welcome, Readers!

My name's Meghann, and this is my lemonade stand.

You'll see I'm a woman who wears many titles throughout the day, but here I'm just another human being figuring out what this thing called life is all about.

I firmly believe that while we all get served some pretty sour lemons in our lives, ultimately with the right attitude and support those lemons can be turned into sweet, sweet lemonade.

This blog represents my personal recipe. Would you care for a glass?

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